Woodsy's Club Tour: Spoon Bowl Preview With Chris Lawrence & Tim Mannah | Footy Talk League

and welcome to a special edition of Woodies Club tour previewing the spoon Bowl between the Tigers and Eels this Friday night in Campell town today boys I've got two of the club legends from each side i' got Timmy Mena and Chris Lawrence how you going boys great good to be here what's happening so what's what's going on in the life of Tim men at the moment oh a little bit of this and that um I'm enjoying the footy it's nice just being a fan just watching it from the sidelines and not being too uh emotional about every result but um you I do some work obviously withn call games and it's nice to be connected to the sport without being consumed by it so um yeah it's been nice how did you find the commentary side of things Timmy I was actually speaking about this last week with uh Jimmy grahe about how you know when you play footy right so you finish a game and you know straight away whether you're good or bad yeah whereas when you call a game you got no idea how you went so my first year out of footy of going into calling games and you do it and you're like you how how do I go where no one gives you any feedback and I feel like the only way I knew C if they bosted you on again the next week yes um so yeah 4 and a half years later I'm still doing it so um it's a good sign good sign yeah yeah good head for it as well must be fun working with the likes of big Spud Carol very fun working with the spudley um he's interesting character but we we're luy we got Jimmy Jimmy Smith and Joel Kane they're the main callers and they they make it easy like they actually help coach me a lot at the start which made my life easy oh that's good and gissy mate what are you up to yourself babe uh busy with uh young family business and um yeah not a lot of sleep at the moment but enjoying it a bit um it's funny Timmy when you said there I had a had a conversation with Tim Grant um obviously sitting on the sideline watching the Tigers and without having sort of any involvement you still have that passion and get frustrated but then you walk away in a couple hours later you've forgotten about it you wake up the next day and then you move on whereas you forget when you're in that environment you carry it for days like cuz I actually you know popped in one of the days and it's not just the players it's the coaches the whole um staff they carry and you sort of forget when you're not in there about that you still get you know you want them to win you're frustrated but as I said you sort of turn around and next day you know the sun rises again and you forget about it you also forget how the sensitivity of being in in that bubble the N bubble we're talking about off air but when you're when you're in that bubble and you're playing or you're coaching or you're like in the admin side of things and anyone says anything slightly that criticizes your organization you get really ared up and I used to be the same when I was playing then you get out of it and then now obviously we commentate on the sport and you know you call things as you see it and they're just their opinions but you forget that you know people take that you know really they're very sensitive and that space so that's another learning C have you had experience in yeah absolutely absolutely a but you just realize it's it's a bigger world like foty consumes just such a small part and then you know like you said Chris win or lose it sort of dictates your week do you miss playing no I I don't miss the actual uh physically playing or training obviously you miss the team environment waking up every day getting to see the boys and um and just being part of that team reir the one thing you miss is that that period between when the whistle go if you've won a game when the the final whistle goes and you get to celebrate that sort of 10 to 15 minute window with your mates so all the work you're done in that week in the preseason that feeling of Celebration with your teammates is hard to replace but then waking up the next day feeling like you're being hit by a bus and every week and just that constant soreness always being sore yeah don't miss that it's funny to say that that's exactly what I miss the only thing I miss when I play everyone says do you miss it yeah I don't the second I retired I was like I'm done I even watching boys hit each other it was like the last thing I want to do but the one thing I miss is after that win that feeling and I'll go longer than 15 minutes I like next 24 hours you you wake up the next morning the sun shines a bit brighter food tastes a bit better especially Friday the house Friday night winds nothing better when your when everyone else has got the weekend off and you've had you can actually enjoy um the weekend with your family that was the best but other than that like I that's the only thing I miss and I was pretty fortunate my transition to the business world has been one I've really enjoyed so um I love transitioning to that business side of things um but yeah I do miss that feeling it's tough and obviously I'll be G for it now but you know I speak to a lot of BLS like yourselves and you know you your past players to tend to say you you missed that sort of camarad in the dressing sheds after the games like you both have but boys on the topic we got the big spoon ball coming up can you sum up the year for for the eels firstly Timmy um you know it didn't help out we had some pretty serious injuries like you know Mitch Moses is our best player so to lose someone like Mitch for a big chunk you know for most of the year was was pretty costly for the club and I'm not saying that's the only reason um you obviously they got rid of the coach early on as well which always creates a bit of instability but um you know I think there's a number of reasons that contributed I still reckon that it's it's a pretty good playing Squad oh yeah um I think the club has everything you need to be the best club in the comp you know we've got new center of excellence getting built we've got a great Stadium we've got a really big supporter base big sponsors um and a team that can do well they were in the they were in the grand final two years ago so everything the club needs is there um obviously things didn't go great this year at all um you know I think I think the the change of Coach needed to happen like you know Brad done a great job but after 11 years I think it was it was time for new voice and I think Jason RS gives the club and gives the fans a bit of hope that you know something more exciting around the corner sorry were you happy with the process like with Jason R because it was still a few weeks and it was a bit of unknown with the players um I don't know I think it's hard to get that perfect you I think you know you look at the way they did it could have been done better probably I don't know how many of those guys would had experience in that space before and understanding the complexities of getting rid of a coach and what the steps are y um but it got done and I think now that RS is there I think you know everyone's just going to support him as hard as they can yeah we went through the at the Tigers my question about like early on the year especially when it was J I think Jason my thoughts and and even the conversations with the guys and similar thing if you didn't know at the start of priest why wouldn't you make the call if you felt like he wasn't the right person what M what is six or eight rounds going to do that you wouldn't have known because it pretty much wres a year off by doing that and the same thing in that inance it it rode our year off and you know I think one or two from three or something we weren't that bad that but surely you know you can make that decision make the tough call and cop the heat you know for it make it early give a new coach time to have a full preseason actually give yourself a shot what do you think that 100% I think what happens is you get in substitute teacher mode like so when you get rid of a coach even though everyone's a professional they want to play well all those 1ent is that your head coach really will drive you can get away with it cuz the coaches there now probably won't be here so you working hard for marker kick Chase kick pressure all that stuff that you really get marked on by your coach that you're trying to impress that starts to slowly go out because this this coach is in a bit of a caretaker mode um but yeah I think you're right they should have made the call a lot earlier um and I I reckon if you sat down with the decision makers early on they probably saw that coming for a long time um getting them to the Grand Final probably slowed down that process but um to do it so early in the year probably you had a big part to do with how the season planned out that was really you know with Jason Taylor I reckon they sack him 3 weeks into the competition they should have done it the pre they knew that they were going to get done there's a process and what it does just prolongs it it's just that season's a rof and all the and like Timmy said you got a coach in Trent Barrett like doing a wonderful job but he's not going to be there next year no so players they're not going to do not just on the field but training like they're not going to do the 1 perent is there the extras they know that you know there's a new BL coming in they can get away with a lot more Ag and that's one of the hard parts and that's what the the bo need to get their ass in the gear about Grizzy season for Tigers it's I think it's you could probably look at it at thirds like start the first probably eight rounds you would have probably thought Tigers exceed expectations won a few games against sides probably shouldn't have um showed some positive signs and then and even the games they lost they they were showing effort and they were just they were in games and obviously just a bit of skill and a bit of class you know different stages but that that middle part of the year um yeah just things went really bad like you certain games you saw and you could see just players had given up players were playing like individuals um and there were some big score lines put on them um and then the back half of the year they've sort of rallied again obviously they had a lot of things you know go against them injuries and combinations and when you're down on confidence and when you got a young side as you guys know every time you change up a combination that just you know especially in defense and and that's where when they started losing they started leaking a lot of points they really started to struggle so I think the back end of the year was POS the most positive thing I think you can come out of it is yes a couple of wins but seeing young guys get probably a year or two early get games get a few wins as well not just um you know experience the losses um but actually experience some of the wins because they're going to take that through the the offseason and that's probably going to fast trck the development another year or two so I think um you know obviously everyone would have hoped to have been a bit higher on the ladder um without having you know any unrealist expectations so yes disappointing to still um potentially you know get another wooden spoon but I think Shining Light you've got a good lot of good young kids you you're close mat with Benji um have you spoken to him about how he's enjoyed it and and how have you seen his first year of head coach yeah I think he's obviously enjoyed the process I think um it's you know he loves to win benj he he loves to win and and that's he he's a very competitive guy and that was always going to be my um for me I think the biggest chance I could see with him is that he hates losing and that's why he's so successful as a player and would do everything he needed to do and as a coach you can prepare and you can work as hard as you want but then when the players run out it's on them you know you can't control what they do when they go home you can't control a lot of things when they leave that room so how is he going to deal with that when the player when a lot is out out of his control um so and and a lot has gone wrong and I think he would have probably learned a lot of lessons about um situations and how to deal with those things and sort of the inconsistencies that that they've showed this year um you know I think next year is going to be his biggest test um about what has he learned from this year and um knowing the players more because um he has um you know it hasn't been that long ago that he's retired so how what do he learned from not just the playing days but then you know being able to fully separate yourself as a coach um and how can he then apply that with other players coming in and and being able to manage that so um I think it's a definitely a pass Mark cuz you can see a bit of Benji imprinted already on the side um but for him to say yes he's grown you have to see and it's not always going to be improvements or really big steps up the ladder but it's in the way they play and the way they do things and I think when everyone looks at a team they can say they again perfect example Bulldogs they're playing like a certain style and if you can see his team you think the tigers are playing a certain since they've won a couple of games in a row this back end I think you can start to see you know a style being played and I think you know EDD have got a bit of that Tim machines that you know Benji um flavor on that where they want to move the ball but it's not to push passes and I think early on the year they tried to do that and last year they did that but if you don't practice those skills enough it looks clunky and you do it and everyone's like why are you doing that it takes you know years of practicing the skills to do that and I think he probably would have started in the preseason and um some of those the development of those skills are starting to to come off so so coming through though so you guys both came to the Juniors ERS was was that part of the like you guys getting grained with those skills as you come through under Tim machines leadership it he it literally was every single person I don't care if you're Winger or front rower you should have the ability that if you have eyes up and you can see the Winger open you hit you can throw a 20-minute cut out ball you should have the skills for that so everyone practice those catch pass skills that his eyes up reading from a young age when you came through that was all the way gr through the system and then if you didn't have at least a base level of those skills when you started joining the top Squad you just fell so far behind but because everyone else had those skills they just raised you up so much so you just had to be at that level so and you had to practice and the level of practicing of skills um you know in around after training is one of the reasons why you look at how many um you skillful players come out of that sort of Tim she coach era but also coaches like Tim Sheen has coached a lot of you know Ricky Stewarts now you got you know Benji Johnny Morris to toddy pton like so you got so many coaches because he's focus on skill development um second the reason I ask you look at all the best clubs whether it's penth Melbourne whatever that roosters they got these systems in place when a young age and they so they don't have to sign the biggest superstar to get a good team they've created their own little robots and you know they they might not be the best players in the world but they know all the basic skills so when it come to NL level it's just natural one of my one of my biggest criticisms again talking about criticizing the club has been over the years and you look when Tim Sheen's got let go new coach comes in new CEO come in they want to go in a different direction a lot of the pathway systems just went to the Wayside in terms of there wasn't a clear pathway and up until probably last year the youngest um Club junior that was playing in the in the 17 was David N at 28 years of age whereas every single year when Jim Sheen had you'd have a flood of new two or three new Juniors and yes you couldn't keep in the more but then the ones that left you replac with a new CER Juniors and a new CER J and that's what penth do and Tigers were starting to build and then you had a big gap of eight years where we because of that and then we lost all the Juniors other clubs so I think and that's where they've gone you know what we identify that we're got to go back to I think the biggest thing is there's no identity there yeah you know when we were there like you just spoke about skill it was fundamental skills and every drill Incorporated some sort of skill component whether it was a con game even little things like remember we'd walk across the field and you'd have to remember certain code cuz you always wanted your brain thinking about things when you're training the license play what's a code and you're like so you start with b Ry it'll be wt05 so like West tiger 05 and then it'll add numbers onto it but Tim will tell one bloke and it needs to go relay through the whole team so that's what you do on the footy field you keep relaying the message and little things of that like we like Mick Potter was you know I had fun with him he was just all about running you know there was no fundamentals there no skillbase we used to do training against the 20 side and that'd carve us up because that'd have Todd pton as a coach and skill level they probably had a better skill level than us but we had obviously bigger and physical IES but they knew how to play the game a bit better yeah that enough St pretty crazy how cuz you both debuted young how old were you when you debuted I was 19 I remember you you de before in high school we went Aussie school boys on our tour Europe and we had like you know Israel and Mitchell p and you you the only one that had debuted by then it was like um and I remember the buzz we all got that you know you were you play around ban before you came on on this but you could see that you know obviously sheny was doing that he was blooding those young guys he also had the Cubs program do they still do that yeah they still have done that but they've ramped that up in the last two years so they they've put a lot of time into that and like so when I was there they had these Cubs it was like you get like probably the top five six players of the how Matthews and the EST ball and they they just you learn the systems that they're learning in first grade so like Chris said before is that when you go from whether it's SG B to flag or flag to reserve grade you know what the standards you know what the calls you know what the systems are cuz they all relay it the whole way down yeah and so it makes it a lot easier when you got to go to those training sessions you don't feel like you're oh jeez I'm learning [ __ ] right in and then your Skool level's up there because it's something you practice so that that was probably going to bring it to like know where did it go wrong like you know he spoke about injuries before coaches what would you put it down to Timmy I don't think it's one thing it's hard to put it down for one thing but honestly I had Paramount my eight at the start of the year I love their roster their team is still a great team they got some strike all across the park and I'm not going back to injuries but you know obviously Mitchell P he Mitchell Moses came in and I remember him playing sharks like a week before game two of Orin Y and just it just made every remember like remember like that kicking game is such a big pivotal point in your in the way your team play cuz when you get teams coming off their own Tri line it changes the whole way so I know it's a lot of pressure to put on one person yeah but it did change the way the team play it so that was a big loss he had the was it knee no foot he broke his foot didn't he his foot yeah and now he since origin 3 he's had the torn pick Tor I'm happy for I'm glad he got that origin thing though cuz he kind of even though it was a bad year like he can kind of still hold on to that that's it um but the other thing we've been pretty poor at over the last decade is there's a few things we do wrong so one is week to week we struggle so and you know I've talked about this before but if we had a win um we' come to the sheds it'd be beads be music' be like just like everyone's happy there everyone's in a good mood and then if we lost a game it' be like walk into you're not out of smile no music get dressed no one talk and that was the culture that we're trying to like create from the top so the coaching stuff wanted that environment but what it did is it kept creating that up and down so when we won a g we very likely had a bad week the week after so training was a little bit lighter everyone relaxed a little bit mentally everyone switched off then when we lost a game everyone's walking around eggshells and they're scared they come in they rip in they have mad week the next week no in between so we did that but we also did that for season to season M so you 2017 we finished fourth we almost locked over Melbourne in the first Finals and the next year we're going to win the comp next year we're going to come first we're not coming last that same them we went we end up thinking we're killing it we we spent the whole preseason thinking we're going to win this comp Y and then we just got a B all the hard work that we used to do we kind of just got a little bit shortcut shortcut shortcut and then when we got in a hole we started the year 0 and six and we just didn't know how to get out of it m and I think you know regardless of what happened with the coacher this year I think we still would the season would have still paned out the way it did because um once we got in that rut we just I feel like we just didn't know how to get ourselves out of it yeah so I'm hoping you know like and I think that's Jason rolls can hopefully bring some of that Melbourne storm I I'll watch Melbourne and Roes after the game and the way they just whether they win or lose there's just that stability there that that that that yeah yeah so hopefully that starts to come in and like I said I think we have a great playing group that can really do some damage so I'm excited to see where it goes yeah I think it's a great signing RS you know he was my favorite player going up and then you know seeing him in the Melbourne system and hearing so many things about him I think I think he'll be good for per bit of a change like you said Brad Arthur was there for 11 years it's a long time and you know like you said there's a lot of he did a great job like when he started all wooden spooners and we were like in all sorts our third coach in three years and just so he did a great job to get us out of that um but like I said any coach regardless of whether it's Wayne Bennett or about after like 11 years at one Club it's that same voice that same Wayne got moved on at the brers you know this is what happens what about chrisy where did the where did they go wrong for the Tigs mate oh look I think there's so much like promise at Benji new coach moved on look I think a lot of a lot of the changes there was so much change with their starting 13 um you know some were forced to due to suspension and injury I think one spot where I think they really struggled was in particular because of the injuries in the outside backs and like you guys know when you especially in the edges you need to build that consistency and combination with players so I think a lot of games were lost um off you know letting in tries and leaking points on the edges so once you and you saw you got a bit of consistency two or three games with the same Edge you know that edge would sort of um sew up and then you sort of see a lower Point score and I think it just comes down to combinations and I think um they would obviously would have hoped to have had a few more games and and everything go right it didn't pan out that way so um you know you just got to play the cards of your dealt I think and and hopefully they've all learned a big lesson for next year I think they will cuz you know look back end I think what two two wins in in the buy going into the spoon so SPO the best so it's been obviously a disappointing year for both of years but in these sort of years you get a few injuries you get a new coach certain players get an opportunity has there been any shining lights that you probably wouldn't at par I read that shining lights I'm thinking it's a shining light but it's also a black cloud because know I would have said blaz for me I I'm a huge fan of the way he plays right and he reminds me of Jared H for example when he was young just anytime he touches a ball you he does something special he's got that he's got a bit of mungle about him too which you know from outside back he very rare to see that kind of yes he got [ __ ] him yeah so you know the sh light would have been we got the Superstar coming through the I guess um you know we've lost him now so that's kind of a can I asky what would be Blazer's best position I don't know I'd love I don't know much about him I I think I would have said fullback um but if he's going to play alongside clear I think if someone like him Longs like clear will be an amazing 58 so I think 5'8 is where he'll end up the pen um and it just it's just scary that penth rarely have to to like recruit like a star because must burn you that it's penth of all people to lose a player to burn me got I got the most respect for the CEO football so Matt Cameron he was he was our Junior kangaroos coach we assistant Co what a legend but he's we about systems he took that system from that Brian SMI had power back day took it to pen and I just I respect so much the way they put their their club together because you look at their Juniors coming through he's one of the men behind that oh he'd have to be well he's he's the guy that's kind of put together the structure at that club which makes it enticing for young kid so if you're telling the parent hey you're going to play outside clear in a system that does this this and this yeah why would you say no oh man um so yeah it's it's definitely a good signing for them but for me he was he was the sh for most of the year until obviously he left um some other shining lights like there's things off the field like the center of excellence and some things Jason rolls coming is a really big Shining Light for us um so there are things to get excited about has he changed his whole performance staff and everything ra so it's a fresh start I wouldn't know I wouldn't know I I know I know he's moved on some of the guys that were there so i' dare say he's I think that's a great thing for the par just a fresh voice I I don't know obviously I know some of them I don't know all the guys in there at the moment so I can't really judge how good they are but um yeah R has a good if I was coming in as a coach i' would do the same you want your people you want know that guys have your back that have your same vision and philosophy they want all the same things together yeah and no no disrespect you want to get rid of the Deadwood they've been there for the last couple years don't know them but everyone kind of they'll move on from power they get they'll CES Chrissy some shiny lights if not one a couple yeah look obviously all the young players that have come through and you know as everyone sort of knows the the year locky galvin's had but I'm going to pick someone else who I just think is is a superstar and Samuel a ah yeah he is an absolute you know gun you know what he's doing as a young he was sort of coming in as a middle of the bench and then to start and play 80 minutes in the back row um week in week out and it's not just these you know when you have young kids coming through um it is a lot of their you know their big plays so you know attacking plays or coming out and do big shots it's some of the effort areas that you see from him so he's kick Chase and actually kicking um going down with the kick Chase and making one and one tackles um competing for the ball when the ball goes up some of those little effort areas the kick pressure is the fact he's doing it at that age you know and even at the back end of the year when you he might be getting a bit burned out a few you know I know he had he's banged up a bit as well um he's going to be you know if for all that obviously got plenty of Juniors I'd be making sure I lock him up for a long time last game before the B just like just you just know he's going to be a superar at manle oh really they were shattered to lose him right he's going to and where's he from is he Junior he from um thefield yeah of course yeah his brother's mani and he's got two other brothers play first grade but he's M cuz so what happened to M they wanted to move on latu Y and the only way they could move on L was if Tigers were able to take samel at the same time what a pick up yeah what about um saano how's how's the club feel about losing him like yeah it was it's hard to say because obviously I'm not in there from a delay point of VI and you only get the sort of out side perspective you can see from a performance point of view it really affected him like in that period because you know what it's like when you don't have any outside distractions you can just focus on footy you can just you know get in and it's not consciously it's subconsciously when the pressure's on him when you're fatigued you have that Split Second and you can see in some of those performances it was just that Split Second decision so either way I think it's it you can see once the decision was made uh you can see then his performance get back to where it was at the start of the year which was just the weight off the back I think as a you know Tigers fan you've you're going to be you'd be disappointed because you know you would have wanted to keep him but you know as you saying do you reckon he's the the club probably a bit disappointed because he's gone to Melbourne for less money yeah look cuz they threw the kitchen sink at him tiges yeah I think um I think it it probably would have been the point that you know I know he previously come out and and I said he's going to he wants to be part of the rebuild and then has gone and said you know what I don't think it's for me to go to another club but I don't as players you know you can't begrudge a player for going well I've got a short career how am I going to get the best out of my career not just for winning Grand finals but the best development and and what's going to develop me because every player is different so every coach and every um playing roster is going to get something out of you so you can't begrudge him that and I don't think any players would begrudge him that you know what to be the best player I got to be I need to go to this particular team and in this system and if it means I take less money that is my choice and unfortunately you know that's the as you know the Tigers and all other um clubs that have been down at the bottom end of the table for a long time that's what happens you know different points of time and I know tar fans don't want to hear this or is's going to kill it there I'm a huge fan of him not just field he's a great like he's a great person he's a leader yeah I can kill I always talk about like the the false economy so I remember talking to players that um want to leave their Club to get more money so go to Cowboys for extra 100K yeah and i' would always say just say you're a rep player and you want to get extra 150k at at Cowboys yeah at or if you go to a team that's struggling not Cowboys but say a team that's struggling then you're potentially going to lose your spot in origin which is 90k a year yeah um also that 150k by the time you pay your agent fees and taxes and super you're getting 46% of that so like sometimes the players get attached to this number on their contract but the reality is it's a false economy because you can actually make more so saano he'll be a main State origin when he's at Melbourne yeah that's an extra 90k potentially International as well it's an extra you know 30 something k a year you said playing at par when has lost and it was like a a funeral what's the price on having spending a whole year in that mindset versus winning and everything's you know like what is the price if you said okay this is how you're going to feel at this club for an extra 100k this is how you're going to feel at this club and you're going to be 100K less than bank and most players at the time would say I'll go for the money but then you experience it and unfortunately like you know feeling well again I think that's in saying that it is hard the best career percentage wins yeah but and that's 100% that's hard and and you can see that with some of the guys that the decision might again it might be a challenge for them it's not just the money it's like okay I'm going to try and challenge myself but yeah like then the the question comes around if that continues to happen and these top four sides are always the top four and then the Gap becomes bigger how do you Rectify it and the only way aside from developing your own Juniors and trying to you know get that bit of loyalty from a junior base uh cannot keep a good play because I'll just keep going to the other clubs because that's again when players realize you know what for an extra 100 200k I'd rather go to a club that's going to be in a good system s blaz yeah exactly yeah but it's also the club's responsibility to build structures that make plays not want to go so when I was coming through at the par when I was young we had a stuck side what a great but no one the only people left like you know we lost Tony Williams Lost T hawson lost Chris keing they all left because they had no other choice everyone wanted to say at par and the deals were just too good to knock back weren't they no it wasn't any money it was also everyone wanted to stay at the club but because there was like you know finchy and Tim Smith even James Maloney all in front of benth had Ben Smith you had so because there's like people in front of you that's the only reason why you left but no one you know came to the graad wanting to get out yeah um and that's that's on the club to create that culture where people starts from the bottom the pathways and people got a question for you Chrissy next year jome L comes to the club galin's been outstanding at 5'8 L stepped up now how do we fit all three into one into two sorry yeah I've um I've thought about this and again I don't see them every day and and what they do on the training field so it's hard to see I know you know Loy has in you know how Matthews and SJ ball played some back row and and played and then he's got that bigger body and I think in time he'll fill out it might be you know really good luck cuz he's got a great engine so he can play like a as AO and actually play through the Middle with a lot of skill and just keep going and going going um I think the short term in next couple of years he's definitely a six and I think he's got the runs on the board now you have to give him first opportunity where you fit um Lon he you know he only got half a game um that couple weeks ago against Manley and absolutely carved up and and years ago I think if it wasn't for some of the injuries at the start of the year he probably would have got the jump on Loy so are the rolls well yeah CU both were going good and obviously you know he he was touted as the you know the gun and the first up with all you know with all the Juniors so um I think you got to find somewhere to fit them both in and again foot is a funny game you know you have your your pencil side round one and week to week things can change very quickly and you know somehow uh the the players that earn their spot find a way in the team which it's a good headache to have and something that Benji will be probably not excited about making the call on next year but he's going to have to Timmy what does this match mean so much to param um to be honest I don't think it means more to the fans and the sponsors than it does the players like the players obviously your ego doesn't want to come last Yeah but whether he come second last or last it's a bad year like it's a bad season so players are going to be wearing this regardless of what happens in this game but as a as a fan the last thing you want to do is walking up the next you know six months he can the team can have last so and I think you know the all the players want to make sure that all the stakeholders of the club don't have that feeling so it's it's a big game for that reason and um from someone that has one two Wooden Spoons I don't I don't want anyone to experience that it's not a good feeling but when you do lose it like what's the preseason like to they put extra emphasis we came last we need do this much better you yeah you get fogged a lot more it's a tough preseason but like I said whether you come last second last that's not going to change how hard you go so it's going to be a tough preseason regardless rsy come from the Melbourne system I say it's going to be a I wonder if he'll make him work I think he will cuz you know how uh they do that was it one week or two week great Stevey came from uh from Melbourne and we did that for the first two years he was with us so you did as well yeah yeah on the on the job site and I remember chy Sandy on the job site was a very interesting interesting week but uh yeah it's good because it gives you a bit of taste of reality like out there it does doesn't it so was that you'd have to go to training before and then work all day then train at like we used to train at like 5 or 600 a.m. go to the job site work all day on the job site what was your job site uh it was a place in borham Hills um I think it might have been Dam or one of the one of the developers that sponsored us was one of their sites they look after you or what uh yes or no yeah I was with h group as well so you old but um no good to kind of not only what the work you do it's also watching what the trades go through like yeah they rip in makes realize okay like we're pretty lucky to do what we do that's it and Chris what does this match mean to the West Tigers oh I think um you know this would be three in a row if they they get the um they get the spoon so yes I it is as Timmy said more about you know the fans and sponsors but I think for the players that been there the last two years I think three in a row hurts like more than just you know getting getting one or two um I think as well you want to win the last game of the season it just gives that preseason a bit of momentum confidence into the you know into that offseason and I think heard the to the young guys I think if for the young players coming through and the young players that are in the side if they can be part again because it looked all likely for all year that they were getting get the spoon and if they can win the last few games of the year and avoid the spoon the long-term confidence and just that culture winning cuz they've all come through winning comps these guys have won Matthews you know one ball like they've come through winning and finding a way to win so just I know in the significance of things it doesn't mean a lot but if they can be part of a team that finds a way to win to avoid the spoon that will just keep breeding that winning feeling that they've had and then again the confidence that they had and and there's going to only be more and more juniors in that side uh will help the team long term but I re I Reon it's um I don't think uh anyone's ever been so excited for a 16th ver 17th game I've played in spinball before I've been so we're playing against Titans 201 and loser against a spoon were you nervous yeah it was a big game it was a big crowd we had Luke B I think birdie played halfback Ry M played 5'8 Jes but we I think we got to like a 22 nil lead early on and we just kind of Cruis but that we celebrated afterward like we won the Grand Final it's like you made the comp big Mar off year that sucks when you come in that bottom the lat those those moments you enjoy well the Tigers have got to sort of than everyone because they've got a full packed house week for the third time in a row so it does mean a fair bit all right boys where is it going to be one on on on Friday night um I think it's going to be I know you can get technical about you know the forward I think it's more going to be energy so who come with the most enthusiasm and and rip in and although we talk about those 1centers that you know can sometimes go out of the way when when your team is struggling whoever can actually put those 1ers and play with enthusiasm will get out the line it's it's going to be all energy this week yeah yeah tend to agree I think um kicking games get you mentioned about mitching missing Mitch you know for most of the season um in terms of kicking game I think you know if if whoever's going going to have the better kicking game and you know shut the other team out because I I feel I I I think both teams are going to come with energy I think I know the tigers are going to be pumped up with the crowd you know what it's like when you come with a big crowd regardless of the situation it does raise your energy so I think it's going to be a really fast start so I think you know the team that can finish their sets in in the right position so whoever's got the better kicking game will give themselves the best opportunity because I think both sides can score points and both sides can leak a lot of points so whoever can avoid having to defend their line the most which is come down the kicking game I think is going to win the game yeah all right boys got a last question this is I want it with your head not your heart all right boys who wins and why ah I yeah I want that par but the reason being is I just think what a liar you you told me tigers before I said tigers definitely win but I reckon I'll tell you why par and I I think it's going to be a close game I just think there's enough enough senior heads in that team just get over you look at gotho Dylan like there's enough guys that played in big Reggie um so there's enough enough senior heads there to kind of get it done that said though I'm not confident because the way the ters played last week and you keep in mind taret were behind with M they came back and per had a really good game of the weekend but they got chased down at the end so yeah they did to they just got to be cautious that you can't take you foot off with the Tigers because they can come back and the way the Tigers played that last game makes me very nervous because they are playing with excitement oh yeah um and they're going to have that sellout crowd so you know I'm saying par but I'm not you know I'm not saying it with a lot of confidence yeah Chris I go with the heart going to say the Tigers I think the reason or the reasoning I'm giving myself is I think the young kids in the team um are playing with no fear I just think they're confident uh playing with no fear I think that's rubbing off on a lot of the other players um they're going to be high energy and I think you know if again they can control the game and you know um you Aden se's a kicking game can keep them in the corners and give them an opportunity to you know score some points I just think the um you know the confidence in them is going to get him across the line well boys I think it's going to be a huge game s spoke me um I to go Tigers um I love they seem for me they get up when there's a a big crowd last I was at a game a CP a couple weeks ago and they played camber in Campbell town they really got up for it they got up like as you said against Manley and just like what they're doing with the you know I thought stf had his best game all year after he's done his contract he he he made a couple line breaks through Manley's middle and that's probably one of the strengths of Manley and I just love like just love watching Lan galin you know he's just like a kid and things don't come off for him um but he just keeps trying and then Mig M semiu like just his effort areas he got pushed to Center on the weekend finish the game there he's just a competitor um but in saying that it's hard to got a good M Mitchell at par I'm going to go with tigers mate just are going to be close too I don't think it's going to be a blowout like you said and I think if if par can keep their momentum they have they've started well last few games Dragons game they're playing like a team that's coming first they should have beat penr the week before that as well so both sides have been playing well they found a bit of form both teams it's like the shackles are off but boys I can't think enough special edition of the Woodies Club tour the spoon Bowl yeah H let's hope it' be good to see if you get a draw and no one got the spoon but there has to be a loser boys yeah I'm sorry thanks for count on Lads appreciate it thanks appr